A/N: Thank you again to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. Your support means a lot to me.
This is another short chapter - Sheldon's point of view from the night Amy met his friends. We find out a little about Sheldon's plan. Amy's plan won't be revealed quite yet, but I think it will be worth the wait. I hope you all enjoy!
Immediately after Howard, Bernadette, and Raj exited the apartment, Sheldon made a beeline for his desk. He only had one hour until his bedtime. He flipped open his laptop, rolled up his sleeves, and began typing furiously.
Penny sidled up to him. "Whatcha doin' there, Sheldon?"
"I'm typing up a contractual agreement detailing everything Amy is required to accomplish to make amends for her faux pas."
"Sheldon, don't you think you're being a little hard on Amy?" Leonard asked him incredulously.
"Not at all, Leonard," Sheldon answered without looking up from his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys. He was in his element. Generating contracts was one of his greatest passions.
"Well I think you are. She only had your suitcase for a few hours. That's hardly an inconvenience. You've already asked that poor girl to drive you to the train store and the dentist and coerced her into picking up your dinner. Isn't that enough?"
"Leonard, that was just the beginning. To you a few hours may not seem like much; however, to me it felt like a eternity. Besides, for every task I have Amy complete, that's one less task for you."
"Good point. Night, Buddy," Leonard said, motioning Penny to follow him to their bedroom before Sheldon changed his mind.
"Goodnight, Sheldon," Penny echoed as she caught up to her husband. They walked out of the room hand in hand.
Sheldon bid them a distracted goodnight. In the absence of his roommates' watchful eyes, he looked over his shoulder and stared at the middle couch seat, the one Amy occupied earlier that evening. In the span of 36 hours, he had already grown quite fond of her. He hoped the feeling was mutual. She said she had a lovely time, but he wondered if she was being honest or just playing along until her obligation to him was fulfilled. He never had been good at reading facial expressions and body language.
Leonard felt he was being too hard on her. Maybe he was right, though Sheldon would never admit that to his face, but the thought of never hanging out with Amy again was unimaginable. It was possible that she really did consider him a friend and would continue to spend time with him without feeling obligated, but he wasn't ready to take that chance. He needed to maintain the facade of distress over his lost luggage until he was certain she wouldn't abandon him. This contract would ensure it.
At 10 o'clock, Sheldon had his first draft completed. He saved the document and sent a copy to the cloud for backup. There would be plenty of time to proofread it tomorrow. If only he had chosen his words more carefully. He should have said he'd call her the next day instead of in a couple of days, but he was a man of his word and wouldn't go back on his promise.
He stood up and yawned, stretching his arms over his head, then took care of his nighttime ablutions.
The lanky physicist lifted his perfectly folded Monday pajamas out of his dresser and shrugged into them then pulled back the covers, fluffed his pillow, and climbed into bed. He lay on his back cocooned in his quilt in the middle of his bed, as he did every night. Flicking off the bedside lamp, he shut his eyes, but sleep eluded him.
Sheldon cocked his ear but heard no sounds of amorous activities or snoring coming from Leonard and Penny's bedroom. His eyes wandered over to his window. It was closed and the blinds were drawn. He breathed in deeply. There were no distracting scents. His pillow was fluffed just right, his mattress was contoured to his body, and everything was in its proper place.
"Well this is strange," he thought to himself. "These are the perfect conditions for sleeping."
He got up to confirm the thermostat was set to a comfortable 71 degrees. "Curiouser and curiouser," he muttered.
He returned to bed and stared up at the ceiling. Never in his nearly 36 years of life had he had trouble falling asleep when the conditions were ideal. He had even slept better the night he came home without his luggage.
He thought back over the events of the past two days. He would be lying to himself if he denied the fact that the brunette neurobiologist had something to do with his inability to drift off to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about her. None of his other friends ever kept him awake at night.
"What has that vixen done to me?" He murmured.
He rolled over onto his side, hoping the change in position could also change his train of thought. When that didn't work, he surrendered to his thoughts by organizing them into lists, another one of his passions. He began creating a mental list of everything he admired about his new friend.
1. She was more intelligent than anyone else he knew, almost as intelligent as himself.
2. She listened intently to everything he said and never once rolled her eyes or try to change the subject.
3. She seemed genuinely concerned for his well being.
4. She made him feel at ease.
5. She found Valentine's Day offputting.
6. She was an excellent driver...
His eyelids fluttered closed as he drifted to sleep counting all the characteristics that made Amy a superior human being.
